


Run Away With Me

by Of_stars_and_moon



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Au where Regulus runs away with Sirius, Child Abuse, Gen, M/M, POV Regulus Black, POV Sirius Black, Regulus Black-centric, Regulus is basically adopted by Potters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:59:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23611924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Of_stars_and_moon/pseuds/Of_stars_and_moon
Summary: He had barely walked out of the door when he heard someone calling his name from behind. "Sirius?"He turned around, heart pounding in his chest. It was Regulus. "Reg," Sirius rasped.Regulus didn't speak for a while, and when he did, his voice was tight, but Sirius could hear the tremor in it. "You're leaving?"
Relationships: Regulus Black & Sirius Black, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 82
Kudos: 509
Collections: Marauders





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [WolfstarPups90](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfstarPups90/gifts).



> This is a birthday fic for the lovely @wolfstarpups90 I love you T!! And I hope you like this!  
> Tw: Child abuse

Sirius was ten when he protected Regulus from his parents for the first time.

The brothers stood in the kitchen, staring at the broken glass in horror. 

"I didn't see it on the table," Regulus said, voice shaking. "Mother is going to be so furious."

"Hey, it's not a big deal." Sirius knew it was a lie but he just wanted to comfort his brother. 

Suddenly, the door flung open and Walburga stood there, eyes blazing as she stared at the shattered pieces of the glass. "Which one of you idiots did this?" she demanded, wand already in hand. 

Besides him, Regulus was trembling as he began, "Mother-" 

"I'm sorry, Mother," Sirius said, cutting him off. "I stumbled upon the table. It was an accident." The lie came out easily, his only worry was that he needed to keep Regulus safe.

Regulus' eyes stared at him in shock and fear, but there was relief and gratefulness in them too. 

Walburga's eyes however, flashed with rage. "You fool! This will teacher you to never make these stupid mistakes again." 

She raised her wand, and Sirius shut his eyes, bracing himself for the pain. 

\----

Sirius was sixteen when he protected Regulus from his parents for the last time. 

'Just one more minute. Stay awake for one more minute' he kept telling himself as he limped through the corridors, biting his lip to stop the pained noises. 

He didn't even remember it perfectly now. He just remembered his parents shouting at Regulus because he had spoken against them. And though they had been arguing and drifting apart, Sirius couldn't let his brother get hurt. So he had said something. He didn't remember what, but his mother had looked livid and after that all he remembered was pain. 

Every muscle in his body screamed with pain and he felt lightheaded from the bloodloss, but he managed to reach the door. His parents were back in his father's study so they probably wouldn't notice him. He didn't want to think of what would happen if they did catch him leaving.

'Just some more steps' he told himself, trying to focus on the fact that he would be out of here soon, instead of the pain burning through his body. It's gonna be over soon. 

He had barely walked out of the door when he heard someone calling his name from behind. "Sirius?" 

He turned around, heart pounding in his chest. It was Regulus. "Reg," Sirius rasped. 

Regulus didn't speak for a while, and when he did, his voice was tight, but Sirius could hear the tremor in it. "You're leaving?" 

Sirius shut his eyes against the ache that his brother's word brought. Somehow, this hurt worse than what his parents had done. "I...I don't have a choice." 

He expected Regulus to argue, and for a frightening second, he thought his brother might call their parents, but Regulus only sighed and gave a short nod, looking down at the ground.

He knew that they weren't the same anymore, but deep under all the masks, his younger brother was still there. "Come with me." 

Regulus' gaze snapped up to meet his, and there was surprise and uncertainty there. "Sirius… That's not possible." 

If Sirius left without him, he would never be able to forgive himself. "Reg, you have to. They...They are gonna be angry. I can't...I can't leave knowing that you'll get hurt." 

"I'll be okay, Sirius." 

"We both know that's not true." Sirius took a step towards him, but then hissed at the sharp pain in his ribs.

Regulus reached out an arm to support him. "You're gonna pass out." 

"I can't stay here anymore," Sirius rasped, wrapping an arm around his chest. "They're...They're gonna kill me. But I can't leave you here with them." 

Regulus glanced at the door. "Sirius, I can't-" 

"Why don't you understand? You're the only person in this godforsaken house that I care about!" His throat was still hoarse from screaming in pain but he couldn't stop his voice from rising in desperation. He took a shuddering breath, exhaling a quiet "Please." 

Regulus looked around nervously and then muttered, "Okay." 

Sirius almost doubled over at the sheer relief that flooded in him. "Let's get out of here." 

Regulus nodded and apparated them to the Potters' Mansion.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since a lot of people wanted this, I continued this :)

As soon as they made it to the front lawn of the Potters' mansion, Sirius collapsed down on the grass, and Regulus tried to help him stand back up.

"Sirius, we're almost there. Just hold on for a bit more time." 

Sirius' eyes drifted close and he could barely hear his brother over the buzzing in his ears. Somewhere, he heard a door being opened and then a voice that he realized was James'. 

"Sirius- Oh my god! What happened to him? Mom! Dad! Come down here!" The voice neared and then there were strong arms helping him stand. 

He blinked open his eyes and found James standing in front of him, hair messy and eyes wide with terror as they ran over Sirius' injuries. "What the fuck happened?" 

"My parents are what happened," Sirius mumbled, as Regulus snapped, "That's not important right now, Potter! Help me take him inside." 

James looked surprised for a moment, like he hadn't really noticed that Regulus was there too, but he nodded and the two of them carried Sirius inside to a sofa in the living room. 

As his eyes shut again, he heard footsteps approaching from the stairs, Regulus telling James what had happened. Even through the frail grasp of consciousness, Sirius could hear the heaviness and pain in Regulus' voice. He needed to tell James to make sure Regulus was okay and to make sure he would stay. Regulus couldn't go back. 

He tried to speak but no words came out and then darkness enveloped him. 

\---- 

Regulus stood in the corner of the Potters' living room after Euphemia Potter had healed Sirius' injuries, and they had taken him to James' bedroom to rest. 

He was feeling uncertain about this. When he had seen Sirius leaving, he had felt sad and scared and also slightly betrayed, but he knew Sirius had to leave. He couldn't keep taking the brunt of their parent's rage to protect Regulus. But seeing him leave still hurt. And when Sirius had asked him to come with him, Regulus had been taken aback by that, mind reeling with the frightening possibilities. But he knew he wanted to be with his brother, and he knew his brother was right about a lot of things that his parents didn't agree to.

But now, fear was settling inside him. What would their parents do when they find out? Could they take them back from here and punish them for trying to run away? They would kill Sirius.

Maybe Regulus should go back. He could try to convince his parents to not hurt Sirius anymore. He had overheard about Voldemort and the death eaters from his parents. He could make a deal with his parents about joining them so they wouldn't hurt Sirius again. 

His parents would be furious but he couldn't think about what was waiting back there for him. For once, he was going to protect Sirius. 

As he was about to leave, Potter came back there. He looked badly shaken and his hair was messy and his eyes were concerned as he walked to Regulus. "Are you okay?" 

It took him a while to understand that Potter was asking if he was hurt as well. And that's when he realised with a pang that Sirius hadn't let his parents even touch him. He had taken all their attention so that they sent Regulus up to his room, where he sat curled up on the bed, hearing his brother's screams. 

He shook the memory away and realizing that Potter was still waiting for an answer, said, "Yes, I'm fine." 

"Okay, good. You can sleep in the guest bedroom or with Sirius if you want to be with him." 

Regulus just nodded back in reply. 

"Do you need anything? Tea or water?" Potter asked. 

"Water would be good." 

"Okay, come on." Potter raised his hand probably to put it on Regulus' shoulder, and Regulus couldn't stop himself from flinching. 

"Fuck, I'm so sorry," Potter said, retreating his hand. 

"It's fine," Regulus muttered. "You just startled me." 

If possible, Potter looked even more remorseful as he led them to the kitchen and poured a glass of water for Regulus, giving it to Regulus. 

Regulus took a sip and asked, "He's gonna be okay, right?" He hated how small his voice sounded, but it was getting harder to mask his emotions. 

"Of course," Potter replied without hesitation. Regulus didn't know if he really was that sure or was just faking it, but nonetheless it gave him hope.

Potter continued, "He's very strong. Though I'm sure you already know that. And mom healed all his injuries and gave him some strengthening potion so that will help." 

Regulus nodded. "Yeah you're right." 

"I wonder if I should owl Remus and Peter. But it's late, I don't wanna worry them." 

"You should ask Lupin to come here tomorrow. That would help Sirius." 

Potter stared at him, eyes wide behind his glasses. "You...You know?" 

Regulus almost rolled his eyes at Potter's skepticism but then he realized that Potter was worried about his reaction. He felt a sort of respect for Potter's protectiveness over Sirius. That was something he and Regulus had in common. "Yeah I know. They aren't exactly subtle about it." 

Actually they were. Regulus could see that they were careful to not raise any suspicions about themselves and it was working for most people. But Regulus knew his brother. And the way he looked at Remus Lupin was always different from the way he looked at his other two friends. 

Potter still looked uneasy but he gave him a strained smile. "Yeah I guess you're right." 

"James. Your father is calling you, love. He's in his room," Euphemia Potter said to James, as she came into the kitchen. 

Regulus was struck by the warmth in her voice and the way she talked to him. In this house, being called to your parent's room didn't mean that you were going to be punished for something. 

Regulus wondered if Sirius felt out of place here when he managed to visit during holidays. Maybe he did at first. But it was obvious this felt like home to him. 

Regulus wasn't sure it would be the same for him. James and Sirius had been friends since their first year. And though it hurt to admit, James was...James was like a brother to Sirius. Possibly more than Regulus now. 

What would Regulus do here? What if Potter's parents wouldn't want him here? What would he do then? Where would he go? 

"Regulus?" 

Regulus blinked, shaking his thoughts away, and realized that Euphemia had probably said something to him. "Uh, what?" 

"I said if you want to go to sleep. It's quite late now." 

Now that he thought about it, he felt exhausted to his bones. But he knew sleep wouldn't come easily tonight. "Yeah, I guess."

"I know you're worried about him. We all are. But you need to take care of yourself too, Regulus. We're worried about you too." 

Regulus couldn't hide the surprise on his face. Apart from Sirius, no one ever worried about him.

Euphemia brought up a hand slowly— she probably had seen Sirius flinch from this many times— placing it on Regulus' shoulder. "I know this is a hard time for you. But it's going to be okay. You're not going to be hurt again." 

Regulus took in a deep breath. "What if...What if our parents get us back? We can't stay here forever." 

"You can stay here for as long as you want. And don't worry about your Walburga and Orion. You're safe now, love."

Regulus' breath hitched at that. Euphemia was looking at him with a loving gaze full of compassion. How did she have so much love to give to everyone? Regulus wondered if he could ever be loved and learn to love properly.

"I...Thank you," he whispered. 

Euphemia smiled and pulled him in a gentle embrace. Regulus stiffed at first, but then relaxed into her arms and hugged her back. This...This felt strangely nice. Maybe he could get used to this someday 

All masks shattered, he muttered, "I'm scared." 

"That's fine," she assured him, pulling back to look him in the eyes. "But you can talk to us about it, okay? We're always here for you and Sirius." 

He hated the sting of tears in his eyes at hearing that. Blinking rapidly, he nodded. 

She reached down to hold his hands and gently unclenched them and that's when he noticed the crescent shaped cuts from his nails where he had been pressing them against his palm. 

She reached for her wand but then stopped. "Can I?" 

He took a deep breath and nodded. Even though he knew she wouldn't hurt him, he still had to fight back a flinch as she raised her wand to his hands. He exhaled shakily as she healed the cuts. 

"There that's better now," she said, patting his hand. "I shouldn't keep you up now. You need to rest. Come on." 

She led him to the guest bedroom, pausing at the doorway to say, "Our bedroom is just down the hall if you need anything."

He nodded. "Thank you." 

"There's no need to thank me, love. Goodnight." 

"Goodnight," he said back and went into the room, closing the door behind him. As he laid down on the bed, there was still a turmoil of emotions inside him, but he felt a bit calmer than before. 

He knew he could talk to the Potters, but he wasn't sure if they would be able to completely understand. They all had each other. They wouldn't understand what it was like to be surrounded by people but still feel alone, like you didn't belong. 

But being silent and observant had made Regulus notice that Remus Lupin seemed like that sometimes too. And so did Peter Pettigrew for the first few years. But Pettigrew seemed insecure, while Lupin seemed...different, like he felt that he wasn't meant to be here. 

Regulus wondered if he would understand. If he could help Regulus figure out what to do. Maybe he should talk to him tomorrow. 

'It was going to be okay' he told himself. Sirius was resting and he would be better by tomorrow. They were safe from their parents, and they were going to be fine now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... Seems like there could be a part three?


	3. Chapter 3

When Regulus woke up the next morning, the first thing he realized was that he wasn't in his room or the Slytherin dorm and he sat up suddenly, perplexed, before he remembered last night's events. Then he realized that he had slept late and no one had woken him up. 

As he entered the kitchen, Euphemia and Potter were already there. Euphemia had finished her breakfast and Potter was just idly playing with his food. His eyes were red-rimmed like he hadn't slept at all. 

"Oh good morning, Regulus," Euphemia said, smiling. "Did you sleep well?" 

Regulus nodded. "Yes, thank you. Why did no one wake me up?" 

"We thought you could use some more rest."

He nodded again and sat down next to Potter. "How's Sirius?" 

"He's better," Potter replied, with a small smile. "Remus came over a while ago and talked to him and he's with him now. Peter is on a family trip so I didn't owl him." 

Lupin had come over already? Regulus surely had slept late. 

Mister Potter walked in, patting the two of them lightly on the shoulders. "Morning, boys." 

It was a trivial thing and Mister Potter probably talked like that to everyone but it made Regulus feel included. 

They ate breakfast in silence for sometime, before Mister Potter spoke, "We were thinking, Regulus. You and Sirius will need your books and stuff from...from your parent's house." 

He didn't say 'home', Regulus' mind registered vaguely, before he focused back on Mister Potter's words. 

"So we could ask them for your stuff."

"They...They wouldn't agree." 

"Well, we can be quite persuasive. But if you don't want that, we could get you new stuff. But your schoolwork and notes would be a problem."

"We could just sneak in the house and take all the stuff," Potter suggested. 

At first, Regulus thought he was joking to lighten the mood, but as he turned to face him, the other boy's expressions were solemn, and Regulus realised with a sort of respect and annoyance at his stupidity that he really would do that for Sirius. 

"You have a death wish?" He couldn't stop himself from saying. Hadn't Potter seen Sirius' state yesterday and he was their son. Regulus couldn't even imagine what his parents could do if Potter just waltzed in there. 

Potter seemed taken aback and opened his mouth to reply but Mister Potter said, "Okay, we'll talk about this later. You two should finish your breakfast first." 

After breakfast, Regulus went to see Sirius and knocked on the door. 

"Come inside," Remus Lupin's voice said from the other side, and Regulus opened the door, entering the room.

Sirius was asleep, curled up against Remus with his head on the other boy's shoulder. He looked better than yesterday. There was a bruise on his cheek and he looked pale. But he looked calm and resting. 

"He looks better," Regulus muttered. 

"James said that too and honestly I don't want to know how he looked yesterday." 

Broken. Regulus' mind supplied, along with the images of Sirius in pain. He forced himself to take a deep breath and pushed the thoughts away. He didn't know how to tell Lupin that he wanted to talk and would it even help? 

As he thought about leaving the room, Lupin asked, "How are you feeling?" 

Regulus opened his mouth to reply but nothing felt right. Why was he so confused? Why didn't he even know how he was feeling? 

He shrugged, finally replying, "Fine, I guess." 

A frown formed on Lupin's face and he shifted to sit up. Sirius mumbled something in his sleep, snuggling closer to Lupin. 

"I'll be back in a moment," Lupin whispered to him, gently laying Sirius on the pillow and standing up. 

"Wanna go outside for a while?" Lupin asked Regulus, gesturing towards the balcony. Regulus nodded and they went outside. 

"So, James told me that you figured it out," Lupin began. Regulus was glad he didn't directly ask about what happened last night and was taking the conversation about himself and Sirius instead.

He nodded. "Yeah... He really cares about you, you know?"

Lupin nodded, staring at the sky. 

"And I assume you care about him too?" 

Lupin nodded again. "Is this going to be a 'If you hurt my brother, I'll kill you' sort of thing?" 

"Maybe," Regulus said with a small smile, but then it faded as he said, with a bitter feeling, "Though I assume Potter already did that." 

Lupin sighed and said, "As a matter of fact, he did. To both of us." 

"Of course he did," Regulus commented, a smile forming on his lips again. "Sirius is lucky to have him." 

Lupin hummed in agreement. "And he's lucky to have you." 

Regulus wasn't so sure of that. He only ever brought his brother more pain and troubles. 

Lupin apparently read his mind as he said, "I know you and Sirius have had your differences in the past but he really loves you. You know that, right?" 

Regulus nodded. Though with every argument over the last years, he had started to feel otherwise, yesterday proved him wrong. Sirius still loved him even if he didn't deserve that. 

"He kept asking about you," Lupin continued. "He had a nightmare, and it took me a while to make him believe that you were okay and just sleeping." 

Regulus felt a pang of guilt at that. He hated that he caused Sirius even more pain. "I just...This all feels so sudden and I don't know...I don't feel like this will work. Like we'd have to go back one day." 

"I can't imagine what this must be like for you and Sirius. But everyone here wants to help you. I'm sure James' parents already see you like a son and James' has another brother now." 

Regulus didn't know how to feel about that. The thought of having people— a proper family— that loved him and didn't want him to be the perfect son felt nice, but this...this wasn't home. "I don't know if it'll ever be like that," he admitted quietly. 

"You know home isn't always where you grow up and family isn't always the one you're born into."

Regulus was silent for a while, letting the words sink in. "Yeah, I guess you're right...I'm just...feeling like I won't fit here." He didn't really understand why it was easy to talk to Lupin, but somehow it was. 

"Well, I can't force you to feel like that. Though James might. Once he befriends you, there's no way you can escape him," Lupin said with a fond smile. 

Regulus let out a chuckle. "That's how he became friends with you?" 

Lupin shook his head. "No. He and Sirius just asked help for pranks and before I knew it, I was participating in every one of their pranks." 

Regulus chuckled again, then asked, "Do you still sometimes feel different?" 

"Sometimes. And every time, one of them is there to talk some sense into me." 

Regulus wondered what made him feel different. "Is the reason for that related to your scars?" he asked after a brief silence. 

Lupin's expressions turned slightly guarded and he self-consciously brought up a hand to a scar on his neck. "Maybe." 

"And would it be alright to ask where they came from?" 

Lupin gave a light shrug. "Maybe one day, I'll be able to tell you about them." 

"Fair enough." 

They were quiet for some time, before Regulus said, "I'm glad Sirius has you, Lupin. You definitely make his life better." 

Lupin smiled. "Thanks. He also makes my life better. Way better. And just call me Remus." 

"Alright. I'll try that, Remus." 

"I should go back to Sirius now. Do you want to talk to him?" 

"I think I'll stay here for a while. Let him sleep more for sometime. We can talk later." 

Remus nodded and entered the room back. 

Regulus heard Sirius' sleepy voice from the room saying, "Where were you?" 

"I was just downstairs. Let's go back to sleep," Remus' voice said back. 

Regulus walked closer to the railing and inhaled the fresh morning air. His lungs felt less constricted now. He knew there were going to be complications and problems but right now, they didn't scare him much. 

Things were going to be better. 

Maybe he could fit in here someday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all liked it! And I'm thinking of keeping another chapter from Sirius' pov.. What do you all think?


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this took a while to update, but here it is now  
> Tw: Implied child abuse

The first thing he notices when he wakes up is that he is back in Grimmauld Place. 

This can't be right. What is he doing back here? 

They had run away. They had finally escaped. 

He can't be back here. Terror grips him as he suddenly hears Regulus' scream from downstairs. He stands up in an instant, walking towards the door with trembling legs. He tries to open it, but it doesn't budge. 

He tries again and again, but nothing happens. He can still hear Regulus' screams and Walburga shouting in rage. 

He has to stop her. He has to protect Regulus. 

His knees give out and he slumps down to the floor pounding desperately on the door. He can't do anything. He failed to protect his brother. 

He failed. 

°°° 

"Sirius? Sirius, wake up." 

Sirius woke up with a gasp, shaking and breathing heavily. 

"It's okay. It was a nightmare," Remus' soft, concerned voice told him, and gentle arms enveloped him. "You're safe now." 

Sirius blinked, his senses slowly coming back to him. He was in James' room. He wasn't there anymore, he told himself. 

Remus' hands stroked his back, holding him close as his breathing evened out. He inhaled deeply, Remus' scent calming him. 

After a while, Sirius pulled back slightly, placing his head besides Remus' on the pillow. "I'm sorry." 

Remus frowned. "What for?" 

"For worrying you so much. For all this...You had to come here so early and you had to keep calming me and-" 

"Hey, you don't have to apologize for anything. I want to be here and I want to help you in any way I can."

Sirius felt overwhelmed by the emotions that Remus always surged in him. 

Remus pressed a soft kiss to the corner of his lips. "Do you want to talk about the nightmare?" 

"I was-" Sirius shut his eyes briefly at the panic that thinking about the nightmare brought. The dull ache in his body was a painful reminder of the horrors of last night. "I dreamt that I was back there." He didn't have to say where. 

"Oh, love," Remus breathed out, stroking Sirius' hair, the action calming Sirius. "You're away from them now. And we're here for you and Regulus. You never have to go back." 

Sirius nodded against the pillow and brought up his hand to hold Remus'. "Thank you for being here." 

Remus shook his head slightly. "Anything for you." He kissed Sirius' knuckles gently. "I love you." 

"I love you, too." 

They stayed quiet for sometime before Remus asked, "Do you want to talk to Regulus?" 

"Yeah. Is he awake?" 

"Yes, James was showing him his room, I think." 

He felt a rush of warmth at those words. 

"Should I go tell him you want to see him?" 

Sirius nodded. 

As Remus left the room, Sirius sat up, doubt and fear creeping through him. 'What if Regulus didn't want to be here?  
What if he wanted to go back? What if he didn't want to live with his rebel, outcast brother and instead preferred being the only heir?'

The rational part of Sirius knew that it wasn't true but uncertainty won over. He didn't know what lies his parents had told Regulus about him since the past years and how much he believed them. 

The door creaked open and Regulus entered, his face breaking into a small smile at seeing Sirius and that was enough to vanish some of his doubts. He felt even better when Regulus sat down near him and pulled him in a hug. It sent a wave of pain along his side but he didn't notice it over the relief and warmth filling his chest. 

"You okay?" Regulus asked, pulling back. 

Sirius nodded. "You?" 

"Yeah, I'm good. James was just showing me to my room." 

Sirius dimly registered that Regulus had called James by his first name, but his focus was more on the tightness in Regulus' voice and the closed expressions on his face. Had James accidentally said something? Did Regulus not want the room? Did he not want to be here? 

"How...How was the room?" 

Regulus shrugged, averting his eyes. "Okay." 

"Reg, do you-" He dreaded asking the question but he had to know. "Reg, do you not want to be here?" 

Regulus' gaze snapped up at this, uncertainty and hurt in them. "You don't want me to be here?" 

"No- I mean yes. Of course I do, Reg. But...But it's about what you want. If...If you want to go back, I...I won't stop you." It hurt to say it and he knew it was a lie; letting Regulus go back would be the worst thing to happen to him, but he didn't want to force his brother. 

"You...You won't?" Regulus asked, voice hitching. 

"I mean I'll try but-" He pressed his palms to his eyes. "Fuck, I don't want you to go but I don't...I don't want to force you to stay like our parents did...I would rather die than see you go back there, but if that's what you really want, I would...then I would try to let you go." 

"Why...Why do you think I would want to go back?" 

"Fuck! I don't know! Maybe because you look like having a room here is the worst thing that could happen to you." He couldn't stop the hurt from creeping into his voice. 

"Sirius, it's not like that." 

"Then what? Is it because you don't want to live with me? Does that really seem so terrible to you?" 

"God! Sirius, can you for once just shut up?" His voice was strained with emotions, close to yelling and Sirius knew he had fucked up. "I need to get some air," Regulus muttered and walked away to the balcony.

"Fucking shit!" Sirius dropped his head in his hands. He shouldn't have agreed to talk to Regulus before he could get his mind right. Why does he fuck everything up so quickly? 

But he wasn't going to let this become another one of their huge fights that resulted in weeks of silence and ignoring each other. He was going to fix it this time. His chest contracted painfully at the thought of Regulus wanting to leave because of this. 

He stood up, wincing at the pain and limped to the balcony. He saw Regulus' shoulder tense even more as he stood besides him. It was always like this. It would start as a normal conversation, but one of them would say something wrong, more often Sirius, and it would end up in an argument.

"I said something wrong, didn't I?" Sirius asked him

"Don't you always," Regulus replied, but there was no heat in his voice. 

Sirius ran a hand through his hair and mumbled, "I'm sorry." 

"I don't remember the last time you apologize to me." 

"Yeah, well, I don't remember the last time we had a conversation this long." 

Regulus huffed out a laugh. "We can't even go five minute without arguing." 

"In my defence, I was tired and sleep deprived and had no idea what I was saying. And...And you didn't look happy." 

"It's not that. This all feels...It feels very new and it's taking me time to get used to it." 

"Oh." Sirius remembered the first few times he had visited here. The overwhelming feeling at their love, the sense of safety he felt here, the gnawing feeling that he didn't deserve to be here. He still sometimes felt like a burden; to his friends, to the Potters, to Remus. And he realized Regulus would be feeling the same. But he'd be damned if he'd let Regulus feel like that. 

"Well, I'm here with you."

"Yeah?" 

"Yeah, it's not like I've lived here my whole life. It's gonna take me a while to get settled as well. But we have each other." 

Regulus smiled at that. "Yeah we do." 

"So...You don't wanna go back, right?" 

"No, I don't," Regulus replied without hesitation. 

The doubt and fear vanished away and Sirius grinned widely, hugging his brother. "Good. Because I wouldn't let you." 

Regulus hugged him back. "Thanks. For bringing me here with you." 

"Oh shut up," Sirius said as they pulled back. "Did James show you the whole house?" 

"No. He showed me one of the guest rooms that they turned into my room. Then Remus came, saying you wanted to see me."

"I'll show you around the house later, yeah?" 

"Yeah, that sounds nice." 

"And they have a huge garden, you know? We'll have a lot of fun there." 

"Sounds good." 

"Are you sure you're okay?" Sirius asked. "Did you sleep alright?" 

"Yes, I'm okay. And yes, I slept alright. Don't worry, Sirius." 

The door to the room opened and through the window, Sirius saw James and Remus. 

"Hey! Why are you out of bed?" James asked, coming over to them. "You are supposed to be resting!" 

"I'm okay, Prongs. I just came out here for some air." 

"You sure?" 

"Yeah, I'm sure." 

"Okay, then. Reg, mom is calling you for lunch." 

Sirius saw Regulus' smile widen at the nickname as he nodded. 

"Hey! What about me? Do I not get lunch?" Sirius asked, feigning betrayed expressions. 

"I was gonna bring your lunch up here," James replied. 

"That's not necessary. I'll just come downstairs." 

"Okay then," James said. As he turned to Regulus and started going to lunch, Remus wrapped an arm around Sirius' waist. 

"How did it go?" he whispered in his ear. 

"Good actually," Sirius replied, unable to stop smiling as Regulus laughed at something James was saying. 

He was surrounded by the people he loved most in the world and things couldn't have been better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys liked that! Reviews are really appreciated! <3


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